Ground Beetle - Scarites sp.
Order Coleoptera -- beetles, besouro, coléoptères / Suborder Adephaga  / Family Carabidae -- ground beetles / Genus Scarites
Live adult ground beetle photographed at Bensenville, Illinois, April 2005. Found inside a factory, it was released unharmed outdoors.
 


Ground beetles are built for burrowing
 
The beetle family Carabidae (ground beetles) has over 3,000 North American species. They are found under rocks, logs, and leaf litter in moist areas. Most are shiny black, like this specimen, but some are brightly colored. They have a conspicuous prothorax (the wide area in front of the narrow "waist" and immediately behind the head) and long legs with spurs on the tibia. The threadlike antennae have 11 segments. Most ground beetles are speedy nocturnal hunters, but others feed on pollen, berries and seeds. The larvae are predators and take a year to grow to adults. Adults may live up to four years.

 
 
              
 
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